The Cure
by Simply-Cath
Summary: There's more than one way to get rid of demon blood.


TITLE: The Cure

AUTHOR: Catherine

DISCLAIMER: The characters aren't mine, I'm not making any profit off this. All hail the Krip.

DISTRIBUTION: Please get my permission first.

RATING: PG-13

CONTENT: Bit of bad language, disturbing imagery

SPOILERS: Up to the most recent episode.

SUMMARY: There's more than one way to get rid of demon blood.

The Cure

By: Catherine

Sam struggled uselessly against his bonds, glaring Crowley's retreating back. "You son of a bitch!" He hissed, yanking hard against the shackles, though he knew it was useless. His wrists were worn raw and bloody in some places and his ankles were bound so tight he couldn't even bend his knees. "I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"Sorry, Sammy, just business," The demon offered blithely.

"It certainly is." The third man in the room drawled, holding out his hand, fingers splayed, palm up. With a single, cruel motion, Lucifer curled his fingers. Crowley never had a chance to make a sound. He crumbled to the floor like a discarded coffee cup, "and a distasteful one at that." Lucifer turned his attention back to Sam. "But the important thing is that you're here, Sam. And you're finally going to say yes."

"I will NEVER say yes!" Sam snarled. "Do you hear me? I don't care what you to do me, I don't care what you say, I will never be your vessel. You can kill me as many times as you want-"

Lucifer sighed, almost sadly, and walked over to Sam, standing at his feet. He shook his head. "Do you know what I regret the most about this entire situation?" He asked.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Killing your brother?" Though the devil tried to hide the emotion from his face, Sam could see that he'd struck a chord.

There was a long moment of silence before Lucifer spoke again, his voice soft. "Gabriel chose his own side and unfortunately for him, it wasn't mine. He chose to align himself with," he shook his head, "of all things, Gabriel chose to side with humanity and in the end, whether I win or Michael does, humanity will come out on the losing end. As regrettable as it was, that's not what I was talking about, Sam."

While Lucifer paced, Sam had time to reflect on the irony of his position. Arms splayed wide, feet bound together; Dean would probably crack a few dozen jokes before getting around to untying him. And Sam knew Dean would get around to it, because he was confident that his brother was on his way, gunning the Impala as fast as he could to get here, because that's what Dean did.

"What I honestly regret," Lucifer's voice startled Sam from his thoughts. "Is what you went through." He ignored Sam's disbelieving snort and continued on. His voice was soft and thoughtful, as though he were speaking only to himself. "Oh, not your mother's death or your lover's or any of the other hardships; those things had to happen in order to bring you here. I wish you could have avoided being so polluted." He gazed off to the side, at Crowley's body.

"The demon blood," Sam said, his eyes narrowing, a shudder wracking his body as he thought of everything that substance had put him through. It had cost him so much, not the least of which was Dean's trust and respect and the lives of so many people. He'd actually KILLED to get more of it. Oh, Sam had always tried to convince himself that he was doing it just for the edge it gave him, for the power he could wield and ultimately to kill Lilith; but he knew the truth. Some deep, dark part of him liked it.

"Yes," Lucifer replied. "The thought of you having to sully your body with it disgusts me." He snapped his fingers and Crowley's body was engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes within moments. "Of course it had to be done, to ensure you were powerful enough and willing, but if there was any detail I could alter, it would be that one."

"Yeah, right," Sam snapped. "You feel so bad about turning me into some supernatural addict. You said it yourself; that was all part of the plan, you son of a bitch!"

"Do you know what it's like, Sam?" Lucifer interrupted him; "To be so disappointed with something of your own creation? You can't imagine how long it took me to create them, the demons. I tried so hard to make them into something meaningful, but look at them." He shook his head. "They're as ugly, vile and hateful as any human. And you, Sam, you were forced into tainting your body with their blood." The devil rested his hand on Sam's stomach. "And what's worse is that I can still sense it in you."

"You're a liar," Sam tried to pull away from his touch, but he wasn't able to. "I don't have any of that garbage in me anymore."

"Now who's lying, Sam?" A faint smile tugged the decaying corners of Lucifer's lips upward. His hand never moved from Sam's stomach. "You humans disgust me. Your flaws, your lack of morals, your murderous ways ... but even at that I can appreciate my father's handiwork; your bodies are weak, small," he rolled his eyes, "confining. But the packaging, it shows glimmers of my father's previous skill. There are so many little fibres and sinews keeping the machine running. But you've been forced by circumstance to take filth into your body and I do respect your efforts to purify yourself." He looked deep into Sam's eyes. "When you willingly bound yourself into that room, God wasn't listening to your screams, but I was."

Sam shuddered in revulsion, but found himself unable to look away. "I don't have any demon blood in me, not any more, no thanks to you."

"That's not entirely true," Lucifer returned.

"What?" Sam said, shaking his head. "You're gonna tell me you helped me through it, you did something to make it go away?"

"Of course I won't, Sam. I said I'd never lie to you. You might not sense the blood in you anymore, you might not crave it, but it's there. To someone like me, I can see it staining your veins. It's..." He paused for a moment, searching for the right word. Spoken language was such a nuisance sometimes. "It's unfortunate. But as I said, it was necessary; actually, it still is."

When Lucifer's words sank in, Sam began to struggle anew. He tried to lunge forward, to move his legs, anything to escape from the situation or to buy himself time until Dean got here. "You bastard," he growled, ignoring the renewed pain in his wrists and ankles. "You son of a bitch! I won't let you do it. I won't let you put that shit in me again!" When Lucifer laughed in response, it was far from comforting or amusing. If anything, it made Sam try harder, almost snapping his wrist in the process, but he still couldn't move.

" I would never do that to you, Sam. I've seen how hard you fight the impurity; I've heard how you resisted Famine's influence. It's all very impressive; as if I needed any more convincing that you're my vessel." Lucifer removed his hand from Sam's belly and walked away. "In fact, I've decided to reward you."

"I don't want anything from you!" Sam turned his head, following the devil's movements as best he could. He saw Lucifer pick up Ruby's knife and return closer.

"Oh, but I think you'll want this." Lucifer cocked his head. "It's something you've strived for your entire life. I'm going to get rid of the poison in your body Sam and there's only one way to do it permanently." He held up the knife, studying the way it glinted in the light.

A vision of being tied to the ghouls' table slammed into Sam's mind. He remembered the feel of the blood oozing out of his veins. He recalled how cold and weak he'd felt with each passing moment, feeling the life literally dripping out of him.

"Sam," Lucifer chided, tapping the tip of his knife against his jaw bone. "I told you I would never hurt you. And my methods certainly aren't that ... primitive. I'm giving you a gift, Sam; maybe the ultimate gift. I'm going to cleanse your blood once and for all."

Sam started to speak, but the words turned to ash in his mouth as he watched Lucifer drag the knife across his wrist. The damaged skin of his vessel burst like an over ripe tomato and blood gushed out far faster than it should have. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, you promised-"

Quicker than a blink, Lucifer was by his side. Lucifer put his uninjured hand on Sam's forehead, forcing him to tilt his head until his mouth opened. Sam's struggles increased and he gritted his teeth together, shaking his head wildly. "I said I would never lie to you, Sam." He whispered, yanking his vessel's head back further. Ignoring his pleas, Lucifer brought the bloody wound to Sam's mouth and held him in place. "I would never pollute your body with demon blood. But you keep forgetting," he smiled slightly. "I'm an angel."

THE END


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